Green means Go: Aston Martin unveils Valkyrie colours and full Hypercar line-up

The ultra-luxury performance car brand is targeting outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 1959, as it embarks upon a thrilling new chapter in its illustrious motorsport history with what will be the only production-derived Hypercar on the grid, emblazoned in a stunning green colour scheme synonymous with many of the great British glories in the race.

Developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies in conjunction with The Heart of Racing (THOR), the race-tuned Valkyrie is consequently a unique proposition in FIA WEC, and is based upon a road car that was jointly conceived by Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, and legendary Formula 1 designer, Adrian Newey.

“It would be almost unimaginable for Adrian, one of the greatest racing car designers in history, to design a car and not think about it going racing at some point,” commented Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter. “The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a revolution in automotive engineering history, representing the pinnacle of performance, design and innovation.

“The race car shares many strands of DNA with the road car, with the same V12 power unit at its heart. With an extraordinary fusion of F1 technology and road car mastery, the Valkyrie is truly built for racing and its participation at the highest level of global endurance racing will only further cement its technological achievement.”

On the driving strength, Harry Tincknell and Alex Riberas were announced back in November and will be partnered, respectively, by rising British star Tom Gamble and three-time FIA WEC class champion Marco Sørensen, with Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis coming on-board for the longer events.

Former European Le Mans Series (ELMS) title-holder Tincknell clinched LMGTE Pro honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin Vantage in 2020, and spent last season contesting FIA WEC’s headlining Hypercar category in Proton Competition’s Porsche.

Countryman Gamble is a fellow ELMS champion – at LMP3 level – and similarly boasts both LMP2 and GT experience, while Aston Martin Racing works driver Gunn is a multiple race-winner with the marque in IMSA competition. The trio will form an all-British partnership in the #007 entry at La Sarthe in mid-June.

In the sister #009 car, Riberas steps up to the discipline’s top-flight after triumphing in an Aston Martin Vantage in FIA WEC’s LMGT3 division at COTA last season. The Spaniard will be flanked by Danish ace Sørensen – the brand’s most successful active racing driver and a class-winner at Le Mans three years ago – and, on occasion, by 2022 IMSA GTD champion De Angelis.

“Harry was heavily involved in the development of the Valkyrie, so we wanted to incorporate him early on into the test programme,” explained Team Principal Ian James, whose Heart of Racing Team is masterminding the factory Hypercar effort. “He very quickly identified himself as a good team player, and his track record speaks for itself.

“I rate Tom very highly as a natural talent, and he deserves a chance in the spotlight at the highest level of sportscar racing. Ross has been with us for the past four years and has become, without doubt, one of the best GT drivers in the world – he has a feel for a race car that not many drivers have.

“Alex has been proving himself in GTD Pro in IMSA over the past couple of seasons, is an established race-winner and excelled in FIA WEC with us last year. He’s definitely part of the fabric of Heart of Racing Team and deserves his seat.

“Marco is among the most experienced drivers ever to race for Aston Martin, and he’s waited a long time for his chance in the top class. Having worked with him and having seen his ability and how cool he is under pressure, I think he’s a perfect fit for this project. As for Roman, I first drove with him in 2018 and he’s gone from strength-to-strength. He’s won the AMR Academy and the IMSA GTD championship, which is a unique achievement, and he’s become an out-and-out performer.”

Since its initial test runs in July, 2024, the Valkyrie has embarked upon a comprehensive evaluation programme, completing more than 15,000km on circuits throughout Europe, the US and the Middle East. With barely three weeks until the car makes its world competition debut in Qatar, James is pleased with progress.

“You can always be further up the road, but I couldn’t be happier in terms of how everything is integrated and with the reliability we’ve shown,” he mused. “For anybody that’s been involved in sportscar racing, to be running a car at the premier level with Aston Martin, and a car that is widely accepted as one of the most beautiful in the world – the only one that is the genuine progeny of a road car – is a real honour. To be entrusted with this programme is most definitely a career highlight.”

“This is a proud moment for Aston Martin,” echoed Adrian Hallmark, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda. “To be returning to the fight for overall honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans exists at the very core of our values and marks a key milestone in our motor racing heritage. The Valkyrie is an embodiment of our enduring sporting ethos, which has defined the brand for more than a century.”

While expectations match ambition, they are also tempered by the reality of going up against more experienced rivals in a high-calibre Hypercar field, featuring no fewer than seven other major manufacturers all with at least one season in the championship under their belt.

“Of course, we are doing this because we want to win,” acknowledged Carter. “However, we respect the challenge of the events and the competition. [The other brands] are already established and at a high level, and that’s why we want to compete against them. Fundamentally, it is only worth winning if it’s against strong competition.

“The ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), IMSA and the FIA have collectively created championships of growing popularity through working collaboratively. They have done a great job of establishing the format and promoting the series’ to make this a golden era, and it’s an opportunity to compete on the global stage in a fair and competitive environment. This is a great time to be joining the pinnacle of endurance racing.”

The eight-round 2025 campaign will get underway with the curtain-raising Qatar 1812km on 28 February, preceded by the traditional ‘Prologue’ group test at the same circuit on 21-22 February.